Abul Hossain Wins Kolkata Marathon

Kolkata: Siliguri lad Abul Hossain won the Kolkata Marathon on Sunday as amateur runners from north Bengal and Northeast India dominated the first edition of the meet here.

Hossain won the race with a timing of two hours 34 minutes and two seconds to leave Kolkata lad Biswanath Pal second, five minutes behind. Paritosh Roy finished third with a timing of two hours, 52 minutes 48 seconds. Sikkim’s Mangali Tamang won the women’s half marathon with a timing of one hour 31 minutes and 13 seconds.

Meghalaya’s Kyntimon Marwein and her younger sister Dateibankynmaw finished second and third with a timing of 1:33.04 seconds and 1:35.48 respectively. Congratulating the participants, Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, who is the face of the event and flagged off the races, said: “It’s been a successful event. I really applaud their effort, discipline and commitment. There were many women, it’s nice to see them compete hard and better their performances.”

“It was quite chilly so not easy to come here so early in the morning but you were all charged up and thousands turned up to make this a success.
“The idea is to encourage people to run and lead good life. It’s about becoming fitter and healthier to have a positive impact on your lifestyle. It’s about spreading the message across. I’m looking forward to next year,” Tendulkar said.